Dryden City Council has voted to change the model the Fire Service currently operates under.
The City will be switching from the previous model which had volunteers respond to every call and will have a new model where there still will be volunteers but there will also be a few certified fire fighters who will come from colleges to help assist the volunteers in their duties.
Fire Chief Ryan Murrell says there are multiple benefits to the model. Murrell says the new model is actually about $3000 cheaper a year compared to the old model and also provides personnel to attend calls that volunteers would usually not want to participate in such as public education and inspections.
The Fire Chief also says the new model shouldn’t look any different if there is an emergency and he also says many communities that are a similar size to Dryden have also made such changes with success.
Murrell finishes by saying three big changes coming up include reporting on their response times, simplified risk assessments for their protection model and mandatory training by the certified fire fighters.
There was opposition to the new model within council as Councillor Roger Valley says that he disagrees with the choice to switch to a different fire fighting plan.
Valley says many of the people in support of the change use the term “adequate” when they should be shooting much higher as he also says the Dryden Fire Fighters are known as an exemplary force that people look to as an example and that is how he wants it to continue to be known as.
Dryden Resident Pam Miller was also in the audience for the council meeting to see what council had to say about the petition she brought forward to council which had over 1200 signatures for council to continue discussions with the previous fire fighters.
Many of the Council members thanked Miller for her effort and dedication to an issue that is affecting many of the residents that live in Dryden.
Mayor Greg Wilson says it is a hard decision to come to as it is a very contentious issue and even though the model will change, he hopes council can still talk with the retirees about what can be done.
Wilson also sadly spoke about how tough it can be to discuss these issues as he respects the fire fighters and many of the retirees have played an important role in his life.
Councillor John Carlucci hopes they can move forward with the new fire model and the new fire service workers that have chosen to volunteer.
Councillor Martin Mackinnon thanked Miller as well but also claimed he agrees with the new model since he says volunteerism in Dryden is dropping and they need to ensure that they have services so people are safe.
Mackinnon also says the extra hands will help ensure all of the paper work and grunt work will stay up to date within the organization.
Councillor Norm Bush also thanked Miller and mentions how he was also opposed to switching to a different model initially, but after consultations and looking over the information available, he thinks the new model will be cost-effective while still providing adequate service.
Councillor Nick Beyak supports the new model and thinks it will provide adequate service for the City.
Beyak also mentions that he is proud of the work Fire Chief Ryan Murrell has put in and thanks him for his service.
A crowd of approximately 20 to 30 residents attended the meeting, many of which who were not pleased with the decision from Council.
Fire Service Update Release by Rayson Martyn on Scribd
